Machine for capping bottles.



P. A. THELEN.

- MACHINE FOR OAPPING BOTTLES.

A PPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10, 1909.

Patented Jan. 17. 1911.

entree s'ra'rss Parana caries.

FRANK A. THELEN, OF KEWANEE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ADOLPH MOHLER, KEW'LANEE, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR CAPPING BOTTLES.

To all whom it may concern:

a citizen of the United States, residing at Kewanee, in the county of Henry and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Machine for Capping Bottles, of which the following is a specification.

' This invention relates to improvements in devices for applying caps or crowns to bottles and seeks to provide a device of simple construction and operation which may be manipulated by unskilled labor to rapidly and efficiently apply crowns or caps tov bottles.

The invention consists in certain novel features of the device shown in the accompanying drawings as. will be hereinafter first fully described and then 'iarticularly pointed out in the claim.

In thedrawings referred to, Figure 1 is an elevation of a bottle capping apparatus embodying my invention and indicating a bottle in position therein. Fig.-

is an enlarged sectional view of the plunger.- Fig. 3 is'a detail perspective view of a gage employed to assist in properly positioning a bottle within the device. Fig. r is a detail sectional view of a part. of the base and spacing blocks which may be placed thereon.

In carrying out my present invention I employ a base 1 which maybe of any preferred form and at suitable dimensions to impart stability to the device and. 'provi(.le an ample supp'm't for the bottle. At the center of this base I place a mat 2 of rubber or other elasticmaterial which receives the --bottle and serves to cushion the same under the blow imparted thereto in applying the cap. Rising from the base are a pair of pillars 3 which extend upward to support an arch or top 4 which is rigidly secured to the said pillars and is provided with a corn tral opening in which is mounted a rod 5 having a plunger (3 secured to its lower end. The upper end of this rod 5 is pivotally at tached to an operating lever 7, the said lever being t'ulcrumed upon the arch 4 by means of a link 8 having its opposite ends pivoted, respectively, to the end of the lever and to the/ upper side of the arch, as clearly shown in Fig. 1. These parts may be so relatively propo'rtigmed that the down stroke of the lever will impart just the proper movement Speeificatiomof Letters Patent.

/ Application filed June 10, 1909. Serial No. 501,304.

' clearly shown in Fig.

l the mouth Patented J an; 17, 1311.

to the plunger head 6 necessary to firmly crimp the caper.crown'over the mouth of the bottle.

The plunger head 6 comprises a casing 9 arranged between an upper plate 10 and a lower plate 11 which is securedvby bolts 12 inserted through the said plates and pro vided with suitable securing nuts. 13, as

2, the upper p ate being secured directly on the end of the rod 5 and the lower plate'being provided with a central opening 1st to admit the cap and the neck of the bottle. it-11in the casing 9 is placed a crimping block 15 having a central opening that is formed with two portions 16 and 17. The upper portion 16 ot the crimping block is tapered upwardly and the lower portion 17 is cylindrical, the said lower portion presenting a circular recess which will receive the cap and the upper tapered portion constituting a crimping chamber, the walls of which will engage the edge of the cap so as to bend the same down over the neck of thebottle, as will be presently more fully set forth.

Upon the base plate 11 of the plunger, and secured by and between the same and the crin'iping block, is an annular resilient retainer '18 which is adapted to support'the crown or cap until the same is crimped over the bottle neck, WVithin the tapered portion 16 of the crimping block is a spring 19 which is secured in the upper end of the plunger and serves to hold the cap against of the bottle cushion the impact of the plunger upon the bottle.

In order to rapidly and accurately place the bottle at the center of the base plate 1, I provide the gage 20 consisting of a stand ard rising from the base plate, and diverging arms 21 at the upper end of the said standard. The diverging arms present a recess to receive. the bottle as will be readily as well as tov backward upon the standard so that the dey vice can be quickly adjusted to receive bottles of different diameters.

'Inorder to accommodate bottles of difier- -ent types, I employ the spacing blocks ceive the crown or cap and have the same secured in position when the plunger is depressed.

a It is thought the operation of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with j the accompanying drawings. The crown or cap in an uncrimped CQDdltlOn 1s pushed upward through the o ening in the base plate 11 and-the coinci ent opening in theretainer 18 so as to enter the recess 17 in which it 'will be held by the projecting inner edge of the said retainer, it bein understood that the retainer 18 will yie ld s'uiiiciently to permit the entrance of-the. ca and will then at once spring into'position elow the same so as to prevent accidental dropping thereof.. The operating lever is then raised and the bottle placed in position upon the base plate of the machine or the spacing blocks 25, after which the lever is brought down so as to drive the plunger forci ly over the neck of the bottle. The downward movement of the plunger will carr the cap or crown directly onto the mout of the bottle, and as a result of the contact of these two parts, the cap Will be "carried upward into'the tapered chamber 16, the walls of which will at once bend or crimp the edges of the cap firmly upon the mouth of the bottle so that when the lever is again raised," the plunger will recede from the cap which will be retained on the mouth of the bottle, as will be readily understood. The cap thus applied to the bottle will be eifectually secured thereto and cannot be removed therefrom except by the application of the usual implement employed for that purpose.

The device is composed of very few parts,

is easily operated,'and is very efiicient for the purpose for which it is designed.

Havingthus described my invention, what I claim'is:-'-

In a device for the purpose set forth, a plunger head comprisin spaced plates connected together, one p ate being provided with a'central passage, a crimping lock between the plates, a resilient retainer between the block and the plate provided with a central passage, the connecting means forthe plates serving to clamp the block and the resilient 'retalner in place, and a spring lodged in the crimpin block. y

In testimon that claim the foregoing as my own, I ave hereto afiixed my signature in the presence of two-witnesses.

I rnAnK A. THELEN.

so i 

